Theories of Autism

With investigative groups running independent of each other, the major goal of this book is to provide a comprehensive guide to theories of autism, including results of major studies of behavior within the context of a biological explanation of autism. Two opposing theoretical systems are compared-psychoanalytic theory and modern evolutionary theory-and the latter, a biological approach to personality theory is confirmed. By appreciating the part played by heredity and the environment, this book offers a fresh and insightful understanding of autism. It reads as a thorough overview and history of the literature and thinking on the subject of autism over the past 40 years. Contents: Rethinking Theories of Autism; Defining Autism; An Evolutionary View of Personality Development; Piaget's Analysis of Intelligence; Language and Thought in Autism; Aphasias and Autism; Human-Figure Drawing as a Projection of Autistic Experience; and Theoretical Bases of Treatments. Includes illustrations.